Abstract

Despite all the attention given to skills training and the development of functional
literacies it seems as if these developments do not address the deeper human needs
of meaning and sense-making in the world. It does not lead to a more adequate
understanding of the world in its full complexity, neither does it create an awareness
and understanding of the intricacies of human relations. The danger is that these
literacies will rather lead, as their unavoidable consequence, to illiteracy on a grand
scale. What is desperately needed for the sake of our human future is the
development and cultivation of a comprehensive literacy that will enable people to
perform the necessary skills but enable them at the same time to live full,
meaningful human lives. Certain strategies for achieving this ideal are proposed.